Frequently Asked Questions
We get asked lots of fish-related questions at John West. Most of them we can answer quite easily, because without being big-headed we know our stuff inside and out. Some questions though, like ‘How wet does a fish get?’ we don’t take too seriously. Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions and of course our answers to them.
We know where every one of our products comes from and we want to share this with you. We are working to add all our products to the can tracker, but currently you can trace the following tuna products from the Seychelles and Ghana; No Drain Tuna, Tuna Chunks, Tuna Steaks in Brine, Sunflower Oil, Olive Oil and Spring Water. You can also trace our Red and Pink Salmon from Alaska and Canada, as well as our Mackerel and Sardines from Portugal.
Simple. Use the barcode from the sleeve of the multipack. The country of origin and boat code can still be found on the can itself.
Dolphin Safe means quite simply that the fish inside the packaging have been caught without harming dolphins in any way. All our activities are monitored by the Earth Island Institute (www.earthisland.org), a non-profit organisation that supports people who are creating solutions to protect our shared planet. We only trade with suppliers who are EII approved. This partnership helps us ensure that all the tuna in our canneries is dolphin safe. In fact, the EII founded the Dolphin Safe programme in close collaboration with John West over 20 years ago.
Most of it can. Information on recycling can be found on all our packaging.
Traceability means knowing where our fish come from. In other words, we can trace them to the place where they were caught. At John West, we know how important it is to protect our oceans and seas, because without them we wouldn’t be able to bring you our wide range of seafood products. In order to look after the marine environment, we need to know exactly where all of our fish comes from. And so we make sure that we do!
No we don’t! Now how’s that for a straightforward answer.
Remove from the can and place in a suitable air-tight container. Then store in a refrigerator for up to two days.
You don’t have to take a wild guess on the answer to this one! All John West Salmon is wild, whether it be pink, red, or simply an ingredient in one of our Light Lunches. Caught in Alaska and Canada and fresh every time. The ‘wildness’ is what makes it such good quality, great tasting salmon!
Yes there are, because we believe the skin and bones are an essential part of our Salmon’s all round goodness. In fact the bones are an excellent source of calcium. If you like you can mash the soft bones into the fish so you’re hardly aware of them at all. Alternatively, the skin and bones may be removed before eating the Salmon, or you can choose John West skinless and boneless Salmon if that’s the way you like it.
At John West, the health of our customers is of the highest priority and is the reason why we only buy packaging strictly complying with Food Standards Agency guidelines and European regulations. Some of John West’s tinned products are lined with a lacquer that contains a derivate of Bisphenol. By contact, tiny amounts of Bisphenol A are able to migrate but within the EU regulation limits (under 600µg/kg). This lacquer is essential for the preservation of our tinned products to maintain their quality and their shelf life, which is between 3-10 years, depending on the product. Even though we are challenging our can suppliers for total removal of bisphenol, no appropriate substitute component is currently available that does the same job. Nonetheless, we will be closely attentive to the EU's next decisions on chemical level migrations from packaging.
John West canned tuna is routinely tested and monitored for mercury and other potential environmental contaminants. The levels of mercury we are able to detect are very low and well within the maximum levels permitted under EU/UK legislation. The UK Food Standards Agency advice is that people should eat at least 2 portions of fish a week, one of which should be an oily fish. (Canned tuna is not considered an oily fish). They do make the additional recommendation that if you are trying for a baby or are pregnant, then you should eat no more than 4 cans of tuna a week. (These figures are based medium-size cans with a drained weight of about 130-140g per can). You can read more on this subject at: www.food.gov.uk
As with nearly all canned foods, our canned products are cooked in the can as part of the canning process. This means that they are always fully cooked in the sealed can and may be eaten straight from the can without the need for additional cooking. However, you can warm them up if that is how you like to eat them. Sardines on toast for instance, just wouldn’t be the same with cold sardines
Unfortunately we don’t offer this service at the moment. But who knows what may happen in the future?
No. 1 Mann Island, Liverpool L3 1BP, UK.
John West is part of the MWBrands Group which is owned by Thai Union Frozen Products Public Company Limited, incorporated in Thailand.
You can write to us at John West Foods Ltd, No. 1 Mann Island, Liverpool L3 1BP, UK. Or if you want to call us, you can phone us on 0151 243 6200.
